lĭto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. and a., to make an offering which exhibits favorable prognostics, to sacrifice under favorable auspices, to obtain favorable omens.
I Lit.
A Neutr. : si istuc umquam factum est, tum me Juppiter Faciat, ut semper sacrificem nec umquam litem, Plaut. Poen. 2, 41: nec auspicato, nec litato instruunt aciem, without favorable omens , Liv. 5, 38: Manlium egregie litasse, id. 8, 9, 1: non facile litare, id. 27, 23; 29, 10, 6; Suet. Caes. 81; curt. 7, 7, 29: impia tam saeve gesturus bella litasti, Luc. 7, 171.—Prov.: mola tantum salsa litant, qui non habent tura, i. e. a man can give no more than he has , Plin. praef. § 11.—
β With dat.: cum pluribus dis immolatur, qui tandem evenit, ut litetur aliis, aliis non litetur, Cic. Div. 2, 17, 38: litatum est ei deo, Plin. 10, 28, 40, § 75.—
γ With abl.: proximā hostiā litatur saepe pulcherrime, Cic. Div. 2, 15, 36; so Plin. 8, 45, 70, § 183: humanis hostiis, Tac. G. 9.—
2 Of the victim itself, to give a favorable omen, promise a successful event : victima Diti patri caesa litavit, Suet. Oth. 8; id. Aug. 96: non quacunque manu victima caesa litat, Mart. 10, 73, 6.—
3 Transf., in gen., to make an offering, offer sacrifice : qui hominem immolaverint, exve ejus sanguine litaverint ... capite puniuntur, Paul. Sent. 5, 23, 16.—
B Act., to offer acceptably (poet. and in post-class. prose): exta litabat ovis, Prop. 4 (5), 1, 24: sacra bove, Ov. F. 4, 630: sacris litatis, Verg. A. 4, 50: sacris ex more litatis, Ov. M. 14, 156: Phoebe, tibi enim haec sacra litavi, Stat. Th. 10, 338: tibi litavi hoc sacrum, Luc. 1, 632: diis sanguinem humanum, Flor. 3, 4, 2: hostias, Just. 20, 2, 14.—
II Trop.
A To bring an offering to, to make atonement to, to propitiate, appease, satisfy : litemus Lentulo, parentemus Cethego, Cic. Fl. 38, 96: publico gaudio, Plin. Pan. 52, 4: aliquid poenā, Auct. B. Hisp. 24. — Impers. pass. : sanguine quaerendi reditus, animāque litandum Argolicā, Verg. A. 2, 118: postquam litatum est Ilio Phoebus redit, Sen. Agm. 577: de alicujus sanguine legibus, Ap. Met. 3, 8, 13.—
B To devote, consecrate : plura non habui, dolor, tibi quae litarem, Sen. Med. fin. : honorem deo, Tert. Patient. 10: victimam, Prud. Cath. 7, 5.